China National Petroleum has filed a patent for a method of making a di-alkyl surfactant for use in chemical flooding methods in tight oil formations. The surfactant is developed by reacting a di-alkyl primary alcohol with ethylene oxide and propylene oxide, and then further processed to improve its solubility in high salinity water and oil. GlobalData’s report on China National Petroleum gives a 360-degree view of the company including its patenting strategy. Buy the report here.
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According to GlobalData’s company profile on China National Petroleum, AI assisted CAD was a key innovation area identified from patents. China National Petroleum's grant share as of September 2023 was 71%. Grant share is based on the ratio of number of grants to total number of patents.
A method of making a di-alkyl surfactant
A recently filed patent (Publication Number: US20230295515A1) describes a method for producing a di-alkyl surfactant. The method involves several steps, starting with the reaction of a di-alkyl primary alcohol with ethylene oxide and propylene oxide to form a nonionic surfactant. This nonionic surfactant is then reacted with a base to create a first composition. The first composition is further reacted with a chloride acid or a salt derivative of a chloride acid to form a second composition. The second composition is then reacted with a glycol ether to produce a third composition, which is finally mixed with water to produce the di-alkyl surfactant.
The nonionic surfactant used in this method has a specific formulation, denoted as CmH2m+1CH(CnH2n+1)CH2O(PO)x(EO)yH, where m can be various numbers, such as 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, or any combination thereof. Similarly, n can be 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, or any combination thereof. The variables x and y represent the quantities of ethylene oxide and propylene oxide, respectively, and can range from 0 to 50 and 0 to 30.
Additional steps in the method include purging the nonionic surfactant with nitrogen or a vacuum during the reacting process, using a condensation trap or receiver to collect water or organics for reuse, and heating the nonionic surfactant to a temperature below 50°C before reacting it with the base.
The base used in the method can be potassium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide, sodium methoxide, sodium ethoxide, potassium methoxide, lithium hydroxide, or potassium tert-butoxide. The ratio of the base to the nonionic surfactant is 1 to 2 moles for every 1 mole of the nonionic surfactant, and the reaction with the base occurs at temperatures between 90°C and 120°C.
The chloride acid or salt derivative of a chloride acid used in the method can be sodium monochloroacetate or 3-chloro-2-hydroxy-1-propanesulfonic acid sodium salt. The ratio of the chloride acid or salt derivative to the nonionic surfactant is 1-1.9 moles for every 1 mole of the nonionic surfactant, and the reaction with the chloride acid or salt derivative occurs at temperatures around 70-100°C.
The glycol ether used in the method can be various compounds, such as tetrapropylene glycol monomethyl ether, tripropylene glycol monomethyl ether, tripropylene glycol monoethyl ether, tripropylene glycol dimethyl ether, tripropylene glycol diethyl ether, dipropylene glycol dimethyl ether, dipropylene glycol diethyl ether, dipropylene glycol monomethyl ether, or diethylene glycol monobutyl ether. The glycol ether is added at a mass ratio of 0.5 to 2 to the nonionic surfactant, and the reaction with the glycol ether occurs at temperatures around 50-90°C.
The resulting di-alkyl surfactant is a clear, viscous liquid that forms a Type III microemulsion with interfacial tensions of less than 10-3 mN/m. This microemulsion can be formed in fluids with 30,000 to 120,000 ppm of total dissolved solids.
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